the re-cap

Hooray, internet!!!
As I anticipated the return to some semblance of a routine (a word I use very, very loosely) and, consequently, a return to my blog, I pondered what subjects to discuss after the hiatus. Because you don't want to hear about the move itself. Really, you don't. (Actually, as long-distance moves go, it wasn't so bad. Maybe the accurate thing to say is, I just don't want to talk about it anymore.)
And so I ask myself what has changed in the last month, other than, oh, our entire lives. Because that's just a given. But what was not a given for me, or at least, I didn't think to expect in all the chaos, were the changes in Ghoulie. Get this: She's FUN now! Yesterday she turned five months old. And sometime between three months old and now, or somewhere between Pittsburgh and New Hampshire, she developed this awesome personality all her own. She doesn't just do cute "baby" things now. She does "Ghoulie" things, the little quirkly things that make her a unique, interesting little person.
For instance, she loves to dance. Two nights ago, my aunt's new boyfriend (whom we love, but that, again, is a separate post) had out his guitar, playing Johnny Cash. The nearly-naked Ghoulie, held by her great-aunt K., kicked her chunky little legs and stepped her feet side to side fast enough to give Michael Flatley a run for his money. Folsom Prison Blues appeared to be her favorite.
Also, she love, love, loves her rice cereal. During her first feeding three days ago, you would have thought she'd been eating off a spoon for years. Last night, she actually took the spoon from me and stuck the bowl end of it in her mouth herself.
Eewww, hey, this is starting to sound like one of those annoying braggy parent blogs. Here, this will balance things out:
Ghoulie's newest, oddest quirk is that she responds to new environments the same way a snake does: Her eyes get all googly, and she sticks out her tongue. I mean, way out. In fact, we talked about making her Gene Simmons for Halloween, but we think that make-up probably wouldn't be good for her skin. Oh, and sometimes, when she sticks out her tongue, her eyes cross.
But even when she looks a little dim, she's still totally cute. Until now, I didn't realize parenting could actually be a good time.